At the end of Mina Hamilton’s junior year in high school, she is faced with the biggest decision of her life: whether or not to become a vampire. To make it worse, the only guidance she has comes from her slightly crazy uncle Mortie and a vampire class taught by good old Grandma Wolfington (okay, her real name is Ms. Riley) that Mina is forced to take. And just because she is named after a character from Bram Stoker’s Dracula doesn’t make this enormous decision any easier.

This novel opens with an allusion to Stephenie Meyer, queen of all vampire novels, so I knew that Sucks to Be Me would be a fantastic read, which it was. Sucks to Be Me was a truly witty and original debut novel that I completely enjoyed. It was filled with many laugh-out-loud funny moments from the beginning to end and very rarely was repetitive. In a way, Kimberly Pauley’s funny writing reminded me of Shakespeare’s comedies, because they both used comedy to mask important themes. I also really liked how each chapter started out with a myth and fact of vampires, especially because Mina usually inserted a sarcastic comment. Mina’s character is very lovable, and it was fun to read along as Mina dealt with her confusion regarding the vampire and boy issues in her life.

Anyone who is looking for a lighthearted and witty read should definitely check out Sucks to be Me in September when it hits shelves. I was very impressed with Kimberly Pauley’s debut novel, and I hope she plans to turn Sucks to Be Me into a series or at least write another fantastic and witty novel in the near future.

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2013

October:67. The Color of Rain (Cori McCarthy)

September:66. The Fifth Wave (Rick Yancey)65. United We Spy (Ally Carter)64. Out of Sight, Out of Time (Ally Carter)63. Only the Good Spy Young (Ally Carter)62. Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover (Ally Carter)61. Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (Ally Carter60. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Ally Carter)59. Also Known As (Robin Benway)58. Not a Drop to Drink (Mindy McGinnis)57. The Waking Dark (Robin Wasserman)

THE BOOK MUNCHER is the reviewing alias of a prolific reader. She is guilty of several overflowing bookshelves in several states. Her literary diet is mostly dedicated to the young adult fiction genre but has been known to occasionally stray into middle grade or adult categories. She is a firm believer that reading and literacy are as essential to modern life as physical sustenance, that fiction is often truer than nonfiction, and that stories and words have the power to change the world.